Silver island moon, p.8
Silver Island Moon, page 8
“Really?” he asked with piqued interest.
“Yeah, a general practitioner. He bought Pali Mali as a tax write-off. After my mother inherited it, she invested a lot of time and money to make the operation financially solvent and what it is today.” She paused, decided to step out of her comfort zone. “I’d love to show you around sometime.”
He nodded enthusiastically. “I’d love that.”
Evan made a turn onto Pi’ilani Highway and headed south in the direction of Wailea. Late-day sun shimmered off the surface of the ocean as they drove along the shoreline. “Sounds like to me, you have a lot of strong women in your family. I like strong women.”
Christel again smiled to herself, basking in his compliment. She’d been reluctant to start dating, wondering how she could ever move forward after losing her marriage to Jay. Evan Matisse made it easier to look possibility in the eye.
They arrived at the restaurant and were seated promptly. Ko was one of her favorites and rarely disappointed. It was located at the Fairmont Kea Lani Hotel and was the Hawaiian word for sugarcane. The name was meant to reflect the many peoples who came to work Hawaii’s sugarcane plantations, bringing with them their recipes and cooking techniques. The menu items still reflected that heritage.
She and Evan were seated at a table overlooking a large lanai with a view of the ocean. From here, the sunsets could be marvelous.
After an amazing dinner—Evan had the ginger Hoisin BBQ pork chop, and she ordered the seared Hokkaido scallops, followed by a delicious dessert they agreed to share called malasada, consisting of fried Portuguese sweet bread with coconut gelato topped with kula black raspberry jam—they sat for a long time lingering over coffee and talking.
Their conversation was slow and easy, punctuated by many questions.
She learned Evan grew up in Boca Raton, Florida. His folks were both still alive and had moved into the Villages, a popular retirement community located in the central part of the state.
His dad had been the high school football coach. As a result, Evan had become a star player. He was a tight-end and was offered a partial scholarship after graduating his senior year. He turned the extraordinary gift down after 9/11. “The world seemed to have turned upside down overnight,” he explained. “I love this country and wanted to do anything I could to help protect our nation.”
She revealed that she had wanted to go into politics, but the volatility pushed her towards law. She was still a political news buff and followed elections by flipping between channels, a habit that drove her ex-husband crazy.
“You were married before?” he asked.
Christel wasn’t ready to tell him the entire story. Instead, she shared the abbreviated version. “Yes. His name was Jay Bruening.” She told Evan how they had lived here in Maui while growing up and about their surprising reconnection in Chicago a few years later. “We were married soon after. Unfortunately, we…well, we grew apart and finally went our separate ways.” Christel did her best to keep any sign of emotion off her face. Even now, bringing up his name was painful.
“How about you?” she asked. “Were you ever married?”
“No,” he admitted. “I did have a serious relationship, while in the army. Her name was Tess.”
Evan placed his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together, looking down for a moment. Then he met her eyes. “She was killed over Fallujah when the medivac helicopter she piloted was taken down by a Hellfire AGM-114, an air-to-ground missile. I was told the hit came out of nowhere. She likely never knew what hit them.”
The breath left Christel’s lungs. She reached for his arm. “Oh, Evan. I am so sorry.”
“Bad things can happen to good people,” he told her. “Tess was one of the best. Heaven was lucky to get her.” He didn’t tell her more, and she didn’t press for additional details. It was likely there were things too painful for him to divulge as well.
After Evan paid the check, they slowly made their way out into the warm night air. To say she was stuffed when they’d finished would be an understatement. In her past dating life, she often ate very little thinking she might look fat. She felt entirely comfortable with Evan and didn’t need pretend or put on airs. She could be herself. Besides, at this juncture of her life, she didn’t want someone who was inauthentic or would only be impressed with her if she fit some preconceived mold. In fact, she’d proven she didn’t even need a man in her life. That freed her to act accordingly.
Just outside the door, Evan turned to her. “I’m not ready to take you home,” he admitted. “Do you want to go for a walk?”
She smiled. “Yes, that would be nice.”
They strolled down a large concrete walkway lined with sentry and loulu palms. The air smelled of plumeria and there was a slight ocean breeze. It was the kind of island night that Hemingway wrote about, a night meant for lovers. While she and Evan were not exactly at that point in their relationship, she was enjoying the ardent attention of a male. Especially one who was so charming and good looking. The best thing? He was so easy to talk to…to be with.
He must’ve felt something similar because as they stepped to the edge of the bluff overlooking the waves, he held out his hand. She reached and took it, felt his strong fingers close around hers.
His touch was like a bolt of electricity. Sure, she didn’t need a man, but it had been a long time since a guy had caused her heart to race. It felt good.
“I’m having a nice time,” he said while looking out over the brilliant pink sunset. “I hope I get to see you again.”
“I’d love that,” she told him, her voice nearly a whisper. “I’ve had a wonderful time, too, Evan. More than I expected, really.” She cleared her throat. “This was my first time out since my divorce,” she admitted. “I’m glad it was with you.”
If he was surprised by that disclosure, he didn’t show it. He simply squeezed her hand. “Me, too.”
Over the following week, they made good on the decision to spend more time together.
They went snorkeling in Parouse Bay on Tuesday morning. On Thursday afternoon, they biked the famous Haleakala downhill ride. The following day, they both arranged to be out of the office again and golfed the Dunes at Maui Lani, where she experienced her first ever hole-in-one. The amazing feat happened on the sixth hole, a little par three surrounded by water hazards.
“Oh, my goodness! Did you see that?” she nearly screamed with elation. She pumped her fist.
Sharing her enthusiasm, Evan dropped his club and picked her up at the waist and twirled her in a circle. “That was amazing,” he said as he finally let her feet touch the ground.
Christel stared over at the golf green where her little white ball had disappeared into the hole. Euphoria overtook her. Was it the breathless spinning in Evan’s arms, the hole-in-one? Was it Evan himself? No matter, right now she was sailing high above the world on a cloud of happy.
She glanced over her shoulder at Evan, aware he was watching her intently. He pulled on her arm and brought her closer against him. He then leaned forward until his face was mere inches from hers, his breath warm and sweet. He paused, still gazing at her face. Then he touched his lips with hers.
She closed her eyes and released herself to his kiss. Her heart pounded so hard, she was fairly certain he felt each beat against his chest.
His mouth was soft against hers. His hand cradled her lower back. This was a man who could make her feel safe and vulnerable all at the same time. The sensation was intoxicating.
The nervous part of her relaxed. Christel kissed him back, and when she did her breathing changed pitch and so did his.
Evan cradled her head in one hand and held her firmly but gently against his mouth. She stifled a groan and swore his heartbeat was keeping up with her own.
When he pulled back slightly, Christel tried to catch her breath, to speak. “I—well, uh…”
He silenced her with his lips, his breathing heavy as his mouth slid to her neck. “Congratulations,” he whispered against her ear. “That was one heck of a shot.”
13
“Wait…he kissed you?” Katie’s eyebrows lifted. She momentarily stopped walking, causing the treadmill to nearly throw her off the moving belt. She scrambled to regain her balance. “For real?”
Christel startled when a barbell hit the floor from across the room. Their fellow exerciser, a burly man wearing a Budweiser T-shirt with the sleeves cut off, let out an expletive.
Grinning, she glanced over at Katie with a smug look. “For real.”
“Right there on the golf course where every member of the Dunes could see? I mean, so there are witnesses to this event?”
Christel rolled her eyes. “Those people are serious golfers. I doubt many were watching.” She picked up her pace. “Still, it wouldn’t have mattered if the whole world saw that kiss. It was a wonderful kiss. I’m not about to apologize, either, or feel guilty. I’ve waited a long time to feel this good again.”
“No apologies necessary.” Katie turned up the speed on her treadmill as well. “I do want details. What was it like?” She sighed. “I’ve been married so long I barely remember the first-kiss tingles.”
“Long? You haven’t been married that long?” Christel argued.
Katie felt her breath getting labored. “Willa is thirteen. Do the math.” She wiped her brow with her forearm. “Besides, Jon is the only guy I ever dated.”
Christel turned in surprise. “But you kissed others. I mean, you did kiss other guys before Jon.”
Katie turned silent.
“How could you not have kissed anyone but Jon?” Christel stepped off her machine and grabbed her water bottle.
“What can I say? I knew what I wanted and was lucky enough to find the guy of my dreams without a lot of searching.” Katie looked at her sister with as much confidence as she could muster. Christel had a way of looking at her…a look laden with judgment. Okay, maybe not judgment but certainly assessment. Perhaps she’d learned that in law school. It didn’t matter. She didn’t particularly like it. Those looks left her feeling less than her older sister.
She felt less than in a lot of situations. Take, for example, that time Willa came home bragging about her new teacher, the one who was only twenty-four but had multiple degrees, one from Oxford. Why a highly educated woman like that had settled for a teaching here on the island was beyond imagination. The salary had to be inadequate for someone of her accomplishment.
And there was the rub. Almost everyone was more accomplished than her.
Katie had not finished college. She became pregnant and married Jon, vowing to not let all that intrude on her education. That was very shortsighted. She had no idea how much a new infant required. No idea how Jon’s start-up restaurant would consume any ability for him to help her. No idea how sad she would feel signing the withdrawal documents.
Sure, she’d always planned to return. One year turned into a second, then a third. Before she knew it, five years had passed. Finally, Willa was about to move into middle school and Katie toyed with the notion she might return, at least part-time. But then she became pregnant with Noelle.
Don’t get her wrong. She adored her family. She would have it no other way. Still, it was a daily battle to not enter into the comparison game, especially with her accomplished older sister—the lawyer, the certified public accountant, and the all-around-know-everything-about-everything person.
A few months back, Katie had hoped to make her mark. When the opportunity presented, she stepped out and attempted a business deal on her own. Keeping the prospect to herself, she moved forward with the necessary research. She pulled together numbers and profit margins, even looked forward in time to the possibilities for expanding the deal to include international markets. While she hadn’t felt entirely confident in her ability, she forced herself into a mindset that said she was capable of putting the deal together.
Securing a lucrative distribution agreement with Latham Enterprises, headquartered in Waikiki, was going to be the feather in her cap…her crowning achievement, as the old cliches went. She went to sleep at night imagining the entire scene playing out in her mind of calling her family together to announce what she had pulled off.
Sadly, the project had not gone as planned. Few things in life did. Katie had learned that a long time ago.
Katie shook off the notion and pulled herself back to the present. “So, spill,” she urged her sister. “What was it like…the kiss?”
Christel beamed. She took a drink from her water bottle then screwed the lid closed. “Well, he caught me entirely off-guard. I mean, I just didn’t see it coming.” She closed her eyes as if recreating the scene in her mind. “But it was so good. The way his lips felt against mine. The way he smelled.” She looked directly at Katie. “I’d almost forgotten how all that felt.”
“Was it weird?” Katie asked. “I mean, kissing someone other than Jay?”
Christel’s attention slowly drifted to the landscape outside the glass walls of the gym. “Yeah,” she admitted. “Not at the time. But later.”
Katie shrugged. “That’s understandable. Jay was the love of your life. But it’s good that you are moving on. You deserve to be happy.” She meant that. Christel had never looked as delighted with life as she had this past week. Dr. Matisse had broken through that blanket of glum her sister had been under since signing her divorce decree. For that, Katie could hug his neck.
Christel tossed her towel over her shoulder and headed for the glute machine. Katie followed. She’d seen a magazine article just yesterday touting how the machine was the secret hack to help women get extra bubbly butts. It might be too late for her to get a bubbly butt, but she thought she wanted one.
“So, how’s things with the unbearable neighbor?” Christel asked.
Katie adjusted the bumpers then lowered onto the padded bench seat. “Well, his grass is at least a half foot tall. I swear, the guy doesn’t own a mower. I wanted to call the City of Wailuku and report him.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Jon wouldn’t let me. He thought the better approach would be to act neighborly and go over and mow the lawn.” Katie got mad all over again just thinking about how Jon was always giving the creepy man a pass. “I said absolutely not. We kind of got in a skiff about it, actually.”
Her sister grinned. “Let me guess. Jon gave in and let you have your way.”
Katie lifted her chin. “No,” she argued. “We simply agreed to call a truce and not do anything. At least for now.”
They directed their attention and silently focused on their leg lifts. When finished, they moved on to the stationary bikes followed by the rowing machines and then they headed for the showers.
Christel opened her locker and pulled out her bag. “Great session.”
“Yeah, Workout Barbie. Try asking me about it tomorrow when I can barely walk.” Katie believed in regular exercise and made it a priority, but working out at the gym was not her favorite form of keeping in shape. She much preferred biking or walking or swimming. Somehow those activities didn’t hurt so much. Plus, they were outdoors—not in some room with pounding music and the smell of sweaty bodies.
“By the way,” Christel said as she pulled the headband off her hair. “Have you seen Shane lately? Mom says he’s gone a bit AWOL.”
“Well, first…this isn’t the military, Sergeant Christel. Second, he often forgets to check in.” A hint of a smile played at the edges of her mouth. “You know our little brother. He’s always off having fun somewhere. Shane rarely stops and thinks ‘Oh, I haven’t called my sisters lately.’”
“Yes, I know. But Shane has been even more distant than normal. Mom and Aiden haven’t heard from him lately either. In fact, I’m not sure any of us has seen him since Aiden’s accident. I worry he’s still struggling with losing Dad and all that came to light.”
Katie ran a comb through her hair and leaned in to the bank of mirrors above the sinks to check to see if her mascara had smudged. It always seemed to migrate when she exercised. “The one you should be concerned about is Aiden. Dad was his hero and the pedestal now stands empty. Couple that with Aiden’s forced hiatus from a job he loves and he’s got to be feeling pretty low these days.” She stopped talking, stared in the mirror. “You don’t think Shane is missing that girl? What was her name?”
“Which one?” Christel barely hid the sarcasm from her voice.
“That girl who waited on us at Charley’s. You know, after the ballgame?”
Her sister nodded. “Oh, the blonde.”
“Yeah. Shane stayed with her longer than any other girl. That’s saying something,” she noted.
Christel couldn’t hold back her laughter. “So, what…our brother dated her for two weeks?”
Katie waved off her comment. “Oh, stop. Mom said he liked her.”
Christel pulled a bottle of shampoo from her bag. “Yeah? Then what happened?”
Katie turned on the faucet, rinsed her hands. “Shane told Mom she had aspirations of becoming a star and moved to Los Angeles.”
Christel turned and gave her a pointed look. “Well, of course she did.”
14
Falling in love was nothing like Shane expected. He’d watched plenty of Star Wars movies and it was apparent that Han Solo fell for Princess Leia over time. Initially, their relationship was rocky and didn’t break into a full-blown boil until the big kiss scene in The Empire Strikes Back—the fifth movie in the series.
Slow was not his experience. No, he’d fallen hard…and fast.
He met Aimee Battista at Charley’s while out for breakfast with his brother and sisters after a ballgame. She was hot with long blonde hair and even longer tanned legs. A short while later, he saw her again at Black Rock when he was there cliff diving with friends.
